Family Challenges
by WritingGirl88
Summary: After a strange encounter with a witch, Carlisle is forced to search the world for answers that he never thought he would have to find. A stressful month working with the Volturi and the Brindal's, the wizardry worlds powerful clan, brings Carlisle and Esme to their biggest challenge yet: parenthood.
1. Chapter 1

I collapse onto the couch next to Esme. She takes one look at me and giggles. I don't know how she can stay so calm through all this chaos. Our home has never been this hectic. The yelling, screaming fighting. It's driving me mad, but Esme is in her prime element.

"You look exhausted." She says with a smile. She uses her one free hand to reach up and pat my hair back into place.

"I feel exhausted." I admit with a heavy sigh. I close my eyes and lean my head back. "And I think I have a headache."

"Oh, you don't have a headache. Don't be dramatic, Carlisle." She scolds me lightly.

I go to argue back that I do, in fact, have a headache because of these five wild animals that have replaced my calm, well behaved, and quiet young adults, but decide not to.

If someone would have asked me a month ago if witches were real, I would have scoffed and said absolutely not. But now I've learned the hard way to not question what other creatures we share this world with.

As it turns out, witches are real. They are similar to my family. They live with the humans and work hard to keep to themselves. The powers they have are watched very carefully by the Brindal clan who hold the same power in the wizardry world as the Volturi does in the vampire world. The similarities between our two groups are so great that it is baffling that the witches and wizards have kept away from us for so long. Our societies seem to be models of each other.

But like any society, there was a witch gone astray. She hid from the Brindal's, refused to stay in a clan of witches or wizards like the others do, and used her powers recklessly. Her name was Natalie, and she blended in with the humans almost flawlessly. Brown hair, pale skin, and a youthful look made her look like every other twenty-something in the area. The telltale physical trait that separates the humans from the witches and wizards are their eyes. Natalie had the brightest, most vibrant green eyes I have ever seen. All of them have eyes like that. Natalie eyes looked like the thriving spring time grass. Theresa, the leader of the Brindal's, has eyes so blue that if you looked at them long enough you would swear you were staring into the ocean. Her right-hand wizard and second in command, Victor, has hazel eyes that look like the brown tree trunks and green leaves of the forest. The eyes of a witch or wizard are far more vibrant than any human.

Natalie was trying to escape the Brindal's power and ran into my family as we were playing a game of baseball. We could smell something strange coming towards us, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to. Blood pumped through her veins, but the smell of it wasn't as nearly as potent as human blood. Natalie approached us, but stayed slouched over as she walked up. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were wide and wild, and her clothes were dirty and torn at the hems.

She spoke first. She asked us what we were. I asked what her intentions are on our land. Emmett made a smart remark about Natalie, calling her an "asylum escapee" to Edward in a voice low enough that she shouldn't have heard it if she were human. She turned her attention to the boys after that.

Natalie approached Edward and Emmett and stared at them without bothering to blink. She walked with a slow, careful pace. I have to admit, I'm proud of how my boys handled it. Edward watched Natalie, keeping good tabs on her mind, no doubt. With just a nod to each other, Jasper stood guard by the girls and Emmett stood up straighter and on high alert, ready to fight if need be. And of course the girls were ready as well. I stood with Edward and Emmett to try to mediate any issues that could have came.

Natalie never attacked. She mumbled about disrespect and how it's so much easier to teach respect when children are young. She mumbled in a language that I later learned is the native tongue of the wizardry world before spinning on her heals and running back into the woods.

We all froze until she was out of ear shot. As soon as she was gone, Emmett started cracking up.

"What was that? Some kind of voodoo crap?"

We all got a good chuckle out of it, but decided still to cut our baseball game short just in case she decided to make another appearance.

Everything seemed fine. No one was hurt. We were curious about what exactly she was, but passed it off as a human on drugs that made her blood less desirable.

Boy, were we wrong.

That night, everyone was in their own room. Esme and I were, ah-hem, preoccupied with each other. Caught up in the love-lust, we didn't pay any mind to the noises outside of our room. At least we weren't until we heard crying.

"Emmett, leave him alone!" Esme scolds the wild, dark haired boy. I know Esme just bathed the whole lot of them about two hours ago, but somehow Emmett is already dirty again. Grime under his fingernails, his hair pointing in every direction, and crumbs and dried kool-aid on his lips.

"I'm not doing anything!" He shouts back.

"Help me!" Edward sequels as he runs from Emmett and his foam sword, a gift from Eleazar and Carmen. They helped us immensely when proving to the Volturi that we truly encountered a witch, and for that I will forever be grateful. But I have a hard time finding gratitude for the large truckload of toys they sent. Between foam swords, plastic guns, toys that sing and talk whenever they're touched or walked past, the kids had everything offered in the Toys R Us catalogue.

When Edward and Emmett run in front of Esme and I on the couch, I reach out and snag the sword from Emmett. He stops dead in his tracks and scrunches up his little face.

"Hey! I was playing!" He says with a pout.

"You were told to stop. Go stand in time out. Now." I tell him. I work hard at keeping my voice calm.

"Ha ha! You in trouble!" Edward laughs. He points one finger at Emmett and uses his other hand to push that long copper hair out of his eyes.

"Don't tease your brother or else you can join him, Edward Anthony." Esme says. Even when correcting the little wild things, she has no issue staying calm.

"Ugh!" Emmett huffs and stomps over to the corner of the room. He faces it and crosses his arms angrily over his chest.

"They're going to be the death of me." I murmur quiet enough so Esme is the only one who hears me.

"You're dramatic, Carlisle." She responds just as quietly. "You have worked so hard at keeping them safe. Relax and let yourself enjoy them."

I sigh and nod. She is right, though. This past month has been insane.

The Volturi heard of our new, hybrid like vampire children. It was only a few hours after the transformation happened that they were contacting me. I had to explain the strange situation with Natalie in the woods. They didn't believe me and was suspicious that I changed children. Aro came to visit to confirm my story, and as soon as he realized that they were still vampire but not quiet 100% vampire, he organized a true witch hunt. Aro, Eleazar, and I were our own personal team. We searched ever inch of the Earth for the woman who did this. We broke into the witch and wizard community, and upon hearing what this Natalie did, the Brindal's commanded every witch and wizard to search for her.

Jane and her mixed search party of both vampires and witches and wizards ended up finding Natalie. She was killed before we could find out if she could reverse the effects. None of the other wizards or witches knew.

Theresa and Aro formed a pact saying the two different communities would only interact if it concerned the children. If vampires or wizards ever cross paths again, the law says we are to leave each other alone. If we discovered each other under different circumstances, that would be fine, but without the ability to communicate with the witches and wizards leaves Esme and I high and dry with these kids.

Esme has a better grasp on it than I do. I spent the first month away from home as I searched for Natalie and when I was home, I was the strict disciplinarian that kept them in line so the Volturi wouldn't think they were uncontrollable. Esme bonded with them, knew their little quirks and preferences. She had natural maternal instincts that kicked in full gear. I always knew that if her baby would have survived when she was human that she would be a phenomenal parent. I wouldn't be able to do this without her.

I like to believe that I am a patient man, but these kids are proving me wrong. They're amazing, though. Alice is so sweet, and so is Jasper. Emmett's rambunctious energy and humor can make everyone laugh. Edward has a strong urge for education. Rosalie's need for independence has given her a strong drive to do anything she puts her mind to. They're phenomenal. But they're also a handful.

They are a unique blend of human children and changed vampire children. They sleep, sweat and cry. They grow, but slowly. If they don't sleep, they're cranky. They hear like humans and they talk like humans. They haven't shown any signs of having powers. But they can scream louder than humans, and they're stronger than humans. Edward and Emmett and Rosalie have tempers like newborn vampires, but we're not sure if that is just their personalities or if that has something to do with the vampire part of them. They drink blood, but much less than a vampire. They do get tired, but they have to run around and jump and play all day for that to happen. They're rambunctious to say the least.

"Look," Esme says to me with a smile. She looks down at Alice on her lap. Her black hair is brushed flat against her head and she snuggles closer to Esme in her sleep. Mentally, she's up to par with the others. Physically, she is much, much smaller, which is to be expected due to knowing her full grown height.

"Should we get the others ready for bed?" I ask, glancing at the clock. It's 10:28. They're usually all tucked in by 9 o'clock.

"Oh no. Let them stay up as late as they want. The ride to Alaska will be much easier with them asleep." She explains. "You're taking Edward and Emmett. If you let them wear themselves out tonight, then they'll be calmer in the car."

"This is why you're the boss," I tell her with a smile and kiss her cheek. Edward wrinkles his tiny nose at us.

"Ew! Gross!"

"That's not gross, Edward." Esme laughs.

"What's gross?" Emmett calls from the corner.

"You know you're not suppose to talk when you're in time out." I scold him. I turn my attention back to Edward. "You better go play. We're going to keep being gross."

Esme smiles as I kiss her again. Edward let's out a disgusted shriek before running out of the living room. He stomps up the steps.

"Don't wake up Jasper and Rose!" Esme warns him and his heavy footsteps turn into tiptoeing.

"Can I come out now?" Emmett asks with a huff.

"Two more minutes," I answer. "Why are all three of your passengers asleep?"

"Because I got the easy kids." She tells me quietly and holds back a smirk. "Jasper and Alice aren't the fighting type, and Rosie is a chameleon. She will be good because Alice and Jasper will be good."

I sigh again. I love these kids, I really do, but the drive from our Washington home, through Canada, and to Alaska is going to be a long one.

Dealing with the Volturi and Brindal's was one thing, and chasing down the witch who did this was difficult. But taking care of these kids? This is definitely the most challenging thing that has happened.

 **Hi everyone! So, the idea of 'Cullen children' has always interested me, but I could never find a way to write about it that I liked. I think I finally figured it out, though. This is a "run it up the flag pole" type of chapters to see what other people think of it, so please review and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Edward, sit down!" I scold him. He falls back into the carseat and glares at me as I snap the chest clip together. His calmness only lasts for a few seconds.

"I don't wanna go!" He shrieks and arches his back, pushing against the straps. I can hear the straining fabric. Emmett watches the power struggle between Edward and I with amused eyes.

"Edward Mason, knock it off!" I scold him again. He doesn't stop, though. I put my hand on his chest and give him the softest push I can to get him to sit back down. He gives me another glare and the moment I take a deep breath of relief thinking finally got him to listen, he spits right in my face.

I pierce my lips together and clench my jaw. I wipe the diluted down venom off of my cheek. I count back from ten and try to stay calm.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven.

"Ohhhh, you're in trouble!" Emmett laughs and points at Edward. "Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha!"

I can't even bring my temper down enough to correct Emmett, let alone punish Edward. I don't even know how to punish the boy.

Six. Five. Four.

I shut the passenger door and lean against the car. I'm sure Edward is still burning holes into the back of my head with that hateful glare. Emmett keeps teasing him. I close my eyes.

Three. Two. One.

I'm not much calmer at all. My patients are beyond thin. I only have three more hours to go. I pulled over to let Edward and Emmett run around and burn off some energy. Unfortunately, it just got them wound up. I pull my phone out of my pocket and write a text to Esme.

 _Edward just spit in my face. This is the longest ride I've ever taken._

After I hit send, I take another deep breath and muster up as much confidence as I can before getting back in the drivers seat.

"I don't want to go, I don't want to go!" Edward chants, enunciating each word with a strong kick to me seat. I cringe every time my seat shakes and I think about all the abuse my leather upholstery.

"When will we get there?" Emmett asks me. He yells over Edward.

"Three more hours, boys."

"Where's Mom?" Emmett questions more. Edward keeps chanting.

"She's almost to the new house."

"Three hours away?"

"Yeah, we're three hours away."

"But Mom? How many hours away is Mom?"

"Probably an hour and a half."

"Why aren't we an hour and a half away?"

"Because we had to stop for you two to go play."

"I want to play!" Edward screams.

"You did play!" I snap at him.

"Why is Edward screaming?" Emmett wonders outload.

"I don't know." I groan.

Edward screams, Emmett keeps asking all kinds of questions, and I keep focusing on my breathing.

I know the kids hate the car seats and that is part of the problem, but they're all the size of toddlers. Emmett's the biggest, to no surprise, followed by Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and then finally little Alice. If something were to happen while we were driving and someone saw them without a car seat it would cause big trouble for us. We have to be even more careful to stay under the radar now. The Volturi were skeptical when I insisted that Esme and I could handle these five kids and put us under strict orders to keep them in line, or else. Which is why we're making the move to Alaska near Cameron and Eleazar. They were kind enough to offer to help us take care of these kids and are even constructing a house about two miles from there place.

I glance down at the dashboard clock. Only two minutes have gone by, but it feels like two hours.

* * *

"Carlisle, my old friend!" Eleazar smiles and walks out towards the car with his arms stretched out as I climb out of the car. "You finally made it!"

"Yeah. Finally." I say and force a smile back. I swear I'm getting another headache. "Can you get Edward out? I'll get Emmett."

"Of course." He keeps his smile, completely unaware that I just threw him to the wolves. Edward stopped screaming about an hour ago, but he was still kicking my poor seat. Eleazar opens the door, but to my surprise, Edward sees him and lets out a squeal. A happy squeal.

"Eleazar!" He says happily and reaches up towards Eleazar.

"There's my little nephew!" Eleazar says in a sing-song voice as he unbuckles Edward. My jaw drops as Edward claps his hands together.

"Dad!" Emmett whines and knocks his tiny fist on the window. "Get me out!"

I open the door and pulled Emmett out. Eleazar throws Edward in the air, just barely letting him clear the treetops. Emmett's jaw drops to the ground.

"I want to fly too!"

I chuckle at him, and once Edward falls back into Eleazar's arms, I catch Emmett off guard and toss him even higher. His long arms and legs flair and when he looks down, he busts out with a big laugh. As soon as he comes back down, he lifts his arms back in the air.

"Again, again!" He keeps laughing and throws his head back. I smile.

"Me too!" Edward asks Eleazar.

"One more time," I say. Eleazar smiles and we both toss them in the air again.

They laugh like crazy and it seems like they're in the air for minutes instead of seconds. Their laugh fills the air, and for a moment, I forget about the screaming and kicking and all the non-stop questions. Esme has said before that even on the roughest of days while I was hunting down Natalie that when the kids fell asleep or finally played well together and laughed that all the problems that occurs during the day seemed to wash away.

The two come back down and fall perfectly into our arms. Their eyes are lite up brighter than ever.

"Boys, there's something new on the property just for you and your siblings. You two go see if you can find it." Eleazar tells them both. He sets Edward down but Emmett practically jumps out of my arms before I can set him on his feet. As they take off together, Eleazar comes over to me and pats my shoulder. "How was your ride, my friend?"

"Long." I sigh.

"Those boys keep you on your toes, don't they?" He says with a chuckle. I nod.

"Oh yes they do. And let me tell you, they are not made to sit still. Where are Esme and the rest of the crew?"

"Esme and Carmen took Jasper and the girls on a hunt. They just left about fifteen minutes ago. Would you like us to join them?"

"Not until the boys get restless again." I tell him. I watch as Edward and Emmett run around the property. "They hunted last night, so they should be okay for a few more hours now."

"How will you be?" Eleazar asks, patting my shoulder. "You look stressed."

"I am stressed." I admit heavily. "I always thought I was a patient man, but these kids are proving me wrong."

"Let's go on the patio and chat." He suggests with a smile.

We head to the back of the house where an enclosed patio sets on the back of the house. Three of it's walls are floor-to-ceiling windows, and are a comforting reminder of the home we left back in Forks, Washington. Eleazar opens the glass door and as we settle into the patio chairs, Eleazar points into the woods.

"There's the surprise for the kids."

"You shouldn't have, Eleazar." I say with a chuckle. In the woods is a large wooden play area. It's equipped with a slide, five swings, and a play house with two stories. It's tucked slightly behind the trees. It's obvious to Eleazar and I that it's there, but Edward and Emmett are struggling to find it. They run across the yard, still searching for their surprise.

"Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper already played on it. Can they not pick up on each other's scent?"

"No, they can't. They have some vampire traits still, but not all of them."

"And they can't hear us, can they?"

"No. Their hearing isn't like ours, either."

"Good. Now we can talk honestly." Eleazar says. He leans back in the chair and folds his arms behind his head. "This has not been an easy transition for you."

I shake my head no and keep my eyes glued on Emmett and Edward.

"Carlisle, you're a good man. Why are you so nervous around them?"

"They're a challenge, Eleazar." I say with a sigh. Eleazar keeps watching me, waiting for more of an explanation. "I always thought I was a patient man, but these kids are pushing me farther than I've ever been pushed."

"I can't imagine it's worse than working in the emergency room, my friend. You have handled a lot in your life."

"This is nothing like the ER. Nothing at all. If someone at the hospital was hysterical, there is a reason. If a mother is crying uncontrollably in the hallway, it's because her child is being worked on after a car crash. If one of these kids are crying uncontrollably in the hallway, it's because one of the other kids wouldn't give up the toy they were playing with."

"Isn't that easier to deal with than a car crash, though?"

"Absolutely not." I shake my head. "I have studied for years to know exactly what to do for different injuries. As soon as I identify the injury, I can fix it. When the mother is crying, she has good reason to be crying. But raising children? I'm completely lost. The vampire world consists of only adult. I work in the ER, not pediatrics. When children came into the ER, I just had to treat them and then move on. For over three hundred and fifty years, I've dealt with mainly adults."

"I see," Eleazar nods. "That makes sense."

"I haven't told Esme all my worries, but I know she sees the strain it puts on me." I admit with a sigh. "And I wouldn't be telling anyone else but you this. I hate to admit that they stress me out so much."

Eleazar nods again. Emmett spots the play structure and points and runs to it as he yells for Edward to follow him. They yell and cheer and squeal at the sight of it.

"You'll be okay." Eleazar promises. "Look at how you light up when they're happy."

"Thank you." I say quietly.

"I'll be here to help you. And you're forgetting our most valuable resources." He tells me with a smile. "We are lucky enough to have mates with phenomenal maternal instincts"

"That we are, my friend." I smile back.

"So don't fret. Just kick back and enjoy the ride."


	3. Chapter 3

Esme smiles as she pushes me against a thick tree trunk. Her hands tangle in my hair and her kiss is a work of magic. I forget about the Volturi, the kids, everything.

But only for a moment.

"Mama?" A little voice calls from the house. It stops us in our tracks. Esme's hands drop to her side. "Dad?"

"Jasper." I sigh. He's always the first one up.

"We better get back." Esme says.

Before I can respond, Esme runs back towards the house. I wait for only a second until I follow behind her. We've been in Carmen and Eleazar's home for three weeks now, and although they have been phenomenal hosts, it's been quite the challenging adjustment. During the night while the kids are sleeping, we've been working on our own home. It's been near impossible to do any work on it during the day. Thankfully we just finished the last of the work.

I've been trying hard to bond with the children, so I have been helping Esme in every way I can. When I imagine helping with them, I thought it would be a day full of coloring and reading children's books and pushing them on the swings. Instead, I've been breaking up fights, enforcing time outs, and working feverishly to teach them the most basic manors.

When I get to the house, Esme is in the living room and has Jasper in her arms. His blond hair is sticking every which way and his chubby cheek is resting on Esme's shoulder. When he sees me, he smiles.

"There's my boy," I say. He reaches one arm out to me. I take his tiny hand in mine.

"Our little early bird." Esme says in a light, sing-song voice.

Esme settles on the couch, and I sit next to her. Jasper shifts around on her lap until he's stretched over both of our legs. He puts one hand under his head and closes his eyes.

This is his morning routine. He wakes up before the others do, calls for us, and then falls back asleep for another two or three hours. He won't fall asleep in his own bed in the morning, though. He use to only cuddle with Esme until he drifted asleep. Now he's included me in it, too. Later this afternoon, he will do a similar ritual when nap time hits. He will lay down by himself in the bedroom with his siblings and fall asleep for about twenty or thirty minutes. He'll wake up and call for us, then fall asleep again in someone's arms. The cycle starts again when he goes down for the night.

"Do you think he still knows about Maria?" I ask Esme in a hushed tone. She brushes his hair out of his eyes before answering.

"He hasn't mentioned her."

"I worry about him." I admit. "I wonder if Maria is still there in his subconscious mind. I don't want him to worry that we are like Maria and will betray him."

"You're overthinking this, my dear." Esme tells me. "Do you think he would be laying on our lap if he believed that we were a threat to him?"

"I suppose not."

"Don't overthink with the little ones. Just let your natural instinct be your guide."

"No! That's mine!" Edward shrieks from the bedroom he shares with the other children.

"No, Eleazar gave this green one to me. Yours is blue." Jasper tells him calmly.

"No! Yours is blue! Mines green!"

"They pick on each other just like true siblings." Eleazar chuckles as we listen to the bickering. I sigh.

"I don't understand it." I admit. "Even with all the toys they have, they fight over whatever the other one has."

"Dad said you can't take things out of someone's hands! Give it back!" Jasper's tone slowly grows harsher. "You can't do that!"

"Mom said you have to share!" Edward shoots back.

"You're not sharing! You're stealing!"

"Nuh-uh! It's my turn!"

"I'm the cops!" Emmett shouts, joining in on the madness. "You're under arrest for stealing!"

"Go away, Emmett!" Edward demands.

"Get him! Get him and get my truck back!"

Their little feet sound like a heard of elephants as the run from the bedroom, down the hall, and into Eleazar's living room. They circle around the couch, Edward shrieking with a green plastic truck in his hands. Emmett runs behind him with a toy police vest on and plastic handcuffs hanging from his belt loop. Jasper just a few steps behind his larger brother.

"Boys! Calm down!" I call to them. Eleazar shakes his head and smiles at me.

"Let them run, Carlisle. They aren't hurting anything."

I hold my breath as the trio chase each other. Eleazar watches with a look of pure fascination on his face. He watches the kids like this all the time. He's amazed by them.

"Daddy!" Edward shrieks as the other two close in on him. He heads towards Eleazar and I, and once he's within arms distance, he jumps up and down with his arms outstretched in the air. "Pick me up! Pick me up!"

I scoop him up just as Emmett and Jasper catch up to him. Edward climbs from my arms to my shoulder and wraps his arms around my head, the plastic truck being smacked against me.

"Edward!" I huff. "What are you doing?"

"They're trying to get me!" He cries.

"Give me him, Dad! He's under arrest!" Emmett demands.

"That's my truck!" Jasper adds on. "He took it out of my hands!"

"He wasn't sharing!" Edward defends himself.

"Get off of me!" I huff and lift Edward off of my shoulders. He stays latched to my arm, even when I set him on the counter. I hold my hand out to him. "Give me the truck."

Edward plops it down in my palm. All three boys stare at me, and I'm suddenly at a loss of how to handle this. Is the truck really Jasper's toy? Or is Edward correct in saying that the truck belongs to him? No matter who it belongs to, Edward was wrong to take it from Jasper's hands. However, if it is Edward's toy and Jasper refused to give it back, does Edward have the right to demand it?

I glance around at the three pairs of impressionable eyes waiting for my verdict. Even Eleazar watches me. I sigh, and wish Esme would get back home soon.

"If you can't get along, then no one is getting the truck." I finally say. Jasper's jaw drops and Edward crosses his arms over his chest, and they erupt in protests.

"That's not fair! It's my truck and he took it!"

"It's my truck! He wouldn't give it back!"

"It is illegal to steal and he needs to go to jail!"

"You can't take things! That's bad!"

"Sharing isn't bad!"

"It's not sharing if you take it from my hands!"

"Hush!" I raise my voice to get their attention and hold my hand up to quiet them. "That room is full of toys. I know you have other trucks to play with. Go find something else to play with."

"But I was playing with it first!" Jasper exclaims.

"Fine. Take the truck back. Edward," After I hand the truck to Jasper, I look over at the bronze haired child sitting on the counter. He sticks his bottom lip out and glares at me. "Don't take things from Jasper's hands. You have to wait your turn."

"You're mean." Edward pouts and pushes himself backwards over the counter to Eleazar. Without saying a word or breaking his angry glare with me, he maneuvers onto Eleazar's lap. Eleazar raises his brow at me, anticipating my next move.

"Thanks Daddy!" Jasper smiles before running off with the truck held close to his chest. Emmett chases after him, shouting accusations of speeding and threats of jail time.

"Edward, go find another toy to play with." I suggest. Once the other two boys are gone, Edward breaks his gaze from me and turns it to Eleazar.

"You're my new Dad now."

My jaw drops and I can't hide my shock. My first son, the boy I have spent the longest amount of time with just tossed me away. Those five words just struck a nerve deep in my heart, and once again I am at a loss of how to respond. Eleazar just laughs before responding.

"Oh, no, my boy. I am not qualified to fill such a demanding job. Carlisle is your father."

"No. He's mean." Edward stands firm in his position and crosses his arms over his chest. Eleazar keeps his amazed demeanor, and obviously isn't shaken by the words coming from Edward's mouth like I am.

"You're still young, dear Edward." He says. "If you only knew how much he has already done for you, you would feel differently. You'll understand when you're older."


	4. Chapter 4

"Everyone has there own box. Put your toys in your box. If there is a toy that is shared with everyone, put it in this box right here." Esme explains as she writes 'shared toys' on a big box in the middle of the kids bedroom. Next to each plastic bed are equally large boxes labeled with each kids name on it.

The room is a disaster of toys and books and board games. The boys and Rosalie are plopped down on their own beds. Alice, though, is in my arms recovering from the emotional hurt caused by Emmett and Edward when they refused to include her in a game of tag because she is "just a little baby". She tried to stay tough and tell them that she isn't a little baby, but her tiny clench hands went unnoticed when she started to cry. Jasper offered to leave the game with the other kids and play something different with Alice, but it was too late. The smallest member of our family was already consumed with big emotions. After Edward demoted me from his father position a few days ago, it felt nice to be sought out to help Alice with her hurt feelings.

"And I don't want to hear any fighting. If there is a disagreement about what toy belongs to who, you need to talk about it calmly without yelling, hitting, or taunting." Esme continues to instruct. Alice lets out a light sigh and rests her head on my shoulder.

"And then we will go to our new house?" Emmett asks.

"Yes, dear. Everyone get started sorting the toys. This room needs to be spotless by the end of the day."

The kids slide off their beds and start the search for their own things. Alice stays clung to me, though.

"Honey, you have to go through your toys." I say and try to set her down, but her grip around me tightens.

"Hold me, Daddy." She pleads.

I keep her close and look over at Esme. She shakes her head no at me.

"You need to help, Alice."

Alice only responds with a little whine.

"I'll be in this room. Mommy and I are packing up the dressers. We will be right here." I promise. She doesn't respond, but when I try to set her down again, she doesn't fight it.

I wade through the mess of toys over to Esme and the two big dressers against the wall. She opens the top drawer where the clothes are still neatly folded. The lower drawer are a mess from where the kids put the clothes away by themselves.

For once, the seven of us are all together, and all happy.

* * *

"Emmett, get out of the house!" I insist, but it's obviously not that compelling. Emmett peeks over the railing of the playhouse walkway at me.

"No! I'm not going!" He continues to protests.

"You're going! Get down here!"

"You can't make me! I'm living here now!"

"Come on, sport. You can't live in the playhouse." Eleazar attempts to reason with him, but Emmett isn't having it.

"Yes I can!"

Eleazar imitates my frustrated stance with his hands on his hips and his head tilted up towards the playhouse.

"Daddy! He won't let me leave!" Jasper whines. He's actually in the playhouse. Every time he tries to leave, Emmett grabs the foam sword from the ground and threatens him back into the house.

"Let Jasper out of the house." I demand. He just narrows his eyes at me. I lower my voice so Emmett can't hear me as I speak to Eleazar. "How are we going to get him down?"

"Can't you just go up and grab him?" He suggests.

"Do you want to climb up and look ridiculous carrying that boy down?"

"You have to do something. He's holding a hostage."

I sigh. I know he's right.

"Emmett, if you don't come down right now, you're going to get a time out!" I threaten him again. He simply shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm not coming down at all. I'm living in here now. You can't put me in time out up here." He tells me smugly. He gives me a smirk that he use to have when stalking and taunting his pray before the witch 'blessed' our family with the fountain of youth.

That does it.

"I'm going to get him." I state to Eleazar, but it's more to reassure myself.

Fake confidence engulfs my body as I make it to wooden stairs. They're narrow, definitely not made for a full grown man. I make it work, though, because the look on Emmett's face just means trouble. The steps are behind the house and lead up to the walkway that wrap around the side of the house, then to the front. Emmett squeals when I round the corner. He scrambles to his feet to dash into the playhouse, but his speed is nothing compared to mine and I'm able to snag him.

"I don't want to go!" He whines and tries to wriggle his body out of my arms. Jasper peeps around the door opening. I spin on my heels and march back towards the stairs with Emmett kicking under my arm.

"Jasper, lets go." I tell my better behaved boy. He happily bounds out of the playhouse with his green book bag on his back. Carman was generous enough to give a different color bag to each kid so they could keep a few toys each out of their boxes to play with. Jasper snatches up the foam sword and waves it in the air as he follows behind me.

"No! I don't want to go!" Emmett keeps up the bratty complaining. As we make our way down the steps, he grabs the railing and refuses to let go. "I want to live here! I don't want to live in the new house!"

"Let go, Emmett!" I huff. When he doesn't listen, I do the only thing I can think of. I pry his fingers from the painted wood railing.

"Ouch!" Emmett whines and quickly recoils his arms to his chest. His bottom lip quivers. "You hurt me."

I can't hide my shock. I stop dead in my tracks and it feels as if my heart is ripped from my chest as Emmett's eyes fill with tears.

I hurt him.

"Let me see your fingers, Emmett." I request panicky. I imagine twisted appendages and irreversible damage, but he keeps his hands hidden behind his arms. I spin around and set him down on the steps with my hands out. With his eyes lowered to watch his knees, he slowly puts his hands in my palms. His fingers look fine, and when I run my thumbs over his tiny hand, I don't feel any irregular or indicating that he is suffering from any damage. With a released sigh, I put my hands on the side of his face and kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to hurt you."

When I pull away, he gives me a smile that quickly turns into a wicked grin. He jumps to his feet and runs up the steps, snagging the foam sword and pushing past Jasper to get on the walkway and run into the playhouse.

"Daddy said you can't take things from peoples hands!" Jasper sighs. When Emmett doesn't bother to stop, he crosses his arms over his chest and turns to me.

"I know, Jazz." I tell him before he can even complain to me. I outstretch my arms towards him. "Jump to me. I'll catch you."

He smiles and leaps from his step to my arms. I let Emmett continue to guard the playhouse. Eleazar still watches, and from the angry look on Esme's face where she and Carman are standing in the enclosed porch.

"I'm gonna live here and you and Mommy can come visit me!" Emmett shouts.

"He's yours now." I tell Eleazar. "You have him and Edward."

"Oh no, Carlisle. You changed them; they're yours forever." He chuckles lightheartedly. He joins me in my stroll up to the house.

"Are we leaving Emmett and Edward here?" Jasper questions me with a big smile.

"I don't think your mother will let that happen."

Jasper frowns, but he instantly perks up when we enter the porch and he sees Edward and the girls playing on the floor. When I set him down, he runs over to join them.

"Carlisle, what happened? You nearly had him!" She sighs.

"He said I hurt him." I explain.

"Carlisle," Esme sucks in a deep breath. "You have given CPR to humans before. You have reset bones. If you can be careful enough to not cause further injuries to humans, you know you're careful enough to not hurt him."

Her tone is sharp and agitated, and catches me completely off guard. We aren't the type of couple who fights. In all the years together, I can't remember a single argument. If there has been one, it wasn't significant enough to stick in my mind. All of our discussions have been conducted respectfully and kindly. This disposition is completely foreign to me.

"Feel free to get him down yourself." I murmur back.

"Eleazar, dear, lets go to the living room. There's something I'd like to show you." Carman says, stepping away from Esme. Eleazar quickly complies and as they leave the room, the kids all abandon their game and beg to be allowed to see whatever she has to show Eleazar. She happily agrees and herds them out of the room so Esme and I can talk.

"Carlisle, you have to be more stern with the kids." She tells me, rubbing her temples as if I have given her a headache. "Do you know what you just taught Emmett? You taught him that if he pretends to be hurt, you will let him do whatever he wants."

"What am I suppose to do? I'm not ignoring them when they say they are hurt."

"Did you hear bones cracking? Did he scream out in pain? Or did he just find a way to distract you from taking him from the playhouse?"

I just stare at her because, frankly, I see her point. But how can I not take him serious when he says he is hurt?

"Esme, if I hurt one of those kids," I speak slowly and deliberately so I can get my point across clearly. "I will never forgive myself. They aren't as strong as you and me. What if they are hurt and I ignore them? I can't do that."

She pierces her lips together, puts her hands on her hips, and looks out the window to the playhouse.

"You have to do something to get them to respect you. You cannot let them go against what you've told them."

"Esme-" I start to defend myself, but she holds up one hand to stop me.

"You remember what the Volturi told you, don't you? They will pop in to see how things are progressing, and we both know that if they think the kids are too powerful, they _will_ destroy them." She reminds me gravely. "They have to behave. They have to respect you. What do you think Aro would say if he saw that you struggled to get Emmett out of the playhouse?"

My stomach drops. Aro doesn't play around, and if I'm struggling to understand the ridiculous antics of these children, Aro will be absolutely appalled by the disrespect. He won't write it off as a child being a child. The life of these kids depend on them being obedient.

I realize that she is right, and make my way over to her. I wrap my arms around her waist and give her an apologetic kiss on the cheek.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Esme."

She watches me with sad eyes, and just gestures outside.

"Go get your son, Carlisle."

* * *

Five little bodies stand in a row, their noses pressed against the wall. They're arms distance apart since some of the tiny culprits felt the urge to continue to push and shove while they're being punished. Emmett, Alice, Edward, Jasper, then Rosalie. Putting the two better behaved children between the rough ones didn't help. What was supposed to be a ten minute time out has taken thirty-one minutes.

I stare at the mess of toys in the middle of our new living room that started this fiasco. As soon as we arrived this evening, the kids dumped out the toys in their book bags and started playing in the living room. All seemed to be going well. Next thing I knew, all five of them were hitting, screaming, and throwing things. It took three minutes just to pull them apart and get them to stop screaming at each other. Getting the crying to stop took longer. Alice is still crying. Every one of them had a different story on how this mass fight happened.

Getting five little vampires to stand still for a time out was a new challenge for me. Esme has this rule that the entire time out must be served quietly and obediently. That means that any shoving, talking, hitting, or teasing while in time out restarted the countdown. Edward was the worst about standing at time out. He had ran from the wall four times.

"Do you think they've done enough time?" I say quietly to Esme so the kids can't hear me. Esme shakes her head no.

"They won't take their punishments seriously if we don't enforce the entire time out." She whispers back. "Two more minutes."

"It's past their bedtime." I remind her.

"They can go to bed in two minutes."

I nod. Our family has migrated from a patriarch to a matriarch, and I'll happily follow behind my beloved wife. After all, she has all the answers when it comes to these children.

"And once they're in bed-" Esme starts to say, but I speak up too soon and cut her off with my own hopes of what nightly activities she's thinking of.

"The two of us can finally have some time alone." I smile and lean in to kiss her neck, but she puts one hand between my lips and her skin.

"Carlisle, we have to get this fighting to stop. If we label each toy with who it belongs to, then the bickering will stop."

"Okay, dear." I sigh.

The two minutes slowly tick by, and when Esme announces that it's time for bed. Edward runs from the wall and up the steps. Emmett chases after him.

"Come on, girls. It's time to get dressed for bed." Esme says. "You too, Jasper."

They slowly remove themselves from the wall. Rosalie refuses to look at us and sulks up the steps. Jasper and Alice, however, hang back.

"I'm sorry Momma." She weeps softly. "I'm sorry Daddy."

"It's okay!" Jasper comforts her before Esme and I can even saying anything. He wraps his arms tightly around her. The size difference between them puts her face in his chest and his chin on top of her head. "Don't cry, Alice. It's okay."

"Aw," Esme smiles and quickly pulls out her cell phone. She snaps a picture of the tiny embrace before continuing on her mission to get these kids in bed. "Come on, you two. Time for bed."

I scoop up the two little lovebirds, one in either arm. Alice wraps her arms around my neck and rests her cheek on my shoulder.

I carry them upstairs and once we reach Jasper's new room, I hand Alice off to Esme and take Jasper in his room. He doesn't put up a fight as I help him into his pajamas. I can hear Rosalie leave her room and go to Alice's, and after she asks Esme to help her get her nightgown on, she starts a story.

"I'm not scared to sleep in my room. I'm not. But I think Alice is." She explains, an obviously false confidence about her tone.

"I don't want to sleep alone!" Alice pipes up.

"See? I think I'll just sleep in Alice's room tonight."

"I think that's a good idea." Esme agreed with a chuckle.

"Daddy?" Jasper says softly as I button up the plaid top of his pajamas. "I don't want to sleep alone either."

"You'll be okay, Jazzy." I promise him.

"Can I sleep in Alice's room too?"

"Try to lay down in your own bed first. You haven't even tried sleeping on your own. You might like it." I try to convince him. He looks up at me with wide, worried eyes.

"Can you stay with me?"

When I look at his tired, scared eyes, I can't deny his request.

"Sure, buddy."

Just like that, his sadness is gone. Once I finish buttoning his top, he jumps into bed and waits for me to tuck him in. He gives me a big smile as I tuck the blanket around him. I sit on the ground next to the toddler bed. Jasper wiggles his hand out of the blankets and holds it out to me.

"Hold my hand, Dad?"

I take his hand in mine and he holds it tight. I listen to Esme say goodnight to the girls before going to wrestle Edward and Emmett into pajamas. She pops her head into Jasper's room once to see why I wasn't helping with the two wild children. When hearing Esme's request of help, Jasper quickly sat up in bed to explain the situation.

"He's gotta stay here, Mama. He's gotta hold my hand so I can sleep."

With a warm and loving smile, she leaves the room and continues the battle of bedtime.

It takes two threats of time outs and nineteen minutes to get Edward and Emmett settled in bed. Jasper is asleep in only twelve minutes, but it take six more for his body to finally relax enough to drop my hand.

I head to the living room and enjoy the silence of our new house. The floor plan is almost identical to the house we left behind, which helps make it really feel like home. Esme is seated on the couch, a box of Emmett's toys in front of her. The other toys are still boxed up against the wall.

"How convenient that Jasper fell asleep right after Emmett and Edward did." She tell me with a smirk. I shrug.

"He was just so sweet." I say. "It took a while for him to finally let go."

"I know you were enjoying it. This was your quiet bedtime. Tomorrow though," she flashes me a wicked grin. "I get the quiet bedtime and you can put the wild ones to bed."

"I don't know if I'm up for that." I chuckle and grab a box from the wall. I join Esme on the couch. "So how are we doing this?"

"Just write the name of the toys owner somewhere on the toy. If there is not a space for the full name, I've been just putting a dot somewhere on it. See?" She holds up a plastic doll and points the bottom of the feet at me to show a purple dot on the arch. "Purple is for Rosalie."

"What about the others?"

"I'm just using the colors of their book bags. Purple for Rosalie, pink for Alice, green for Jasper, blue for Edward, and red for Emmett." She explains and hands me the pack of colored markers.

"Did you ever think we would be in this position?" I ask. "Putting kids to bed, dishing out time outs, cleaning up toys?"

"Never in a million years." Esme laughs. "But there's no one else in the entire world I'd rather do this with."


	5. Chapter 5

Because Edward was the first one I changed, I've spent the most time with him than any other family member. That means I've also spent more time worrying about him. He struggled come to terms with who he was. The tremendous amount of guilt he carried over the times he slipped and drank human blood took a toll on his mental health. He threw around the word "monster" with disgust and resentment. I never agreed with him though. I never thought of him as a monster.

At least not until today.

Esme and I heard the bloodcurdling scream from the upper floor. We weren't ready for what we were about to see.

The horrible shriek came from Jasper in the hallway. He vigorously whacks Edward in the head with his open palm, but it just makes Edward angrier. He's panicked, and for good reason, too. Edward has his mouth chomped down on Jasper's wrist. With Jasper standing tall and Edward on his knees in the hall, Jasper desperately tries to yank away from Edward, but Edward has the advantage. He even has the other kids terrified, all of them watching wide-eyed from the doorway of Alice's bedroom.

"I told you to let him go, Edward!" I yell at the guilty biter. He doesn't listen, though.

"I know, baby. I know it hurts. It will be over soon." Esme tries to sooth Jasper as best as she can. She holds him as well as she can with Jasper's assaulted limb still stuck out and in Edward's control. I try to pry Edward's jaw open. I grab his bottom jaw and try to force it open, but he fights me on it. The image of Edward with a broken jaw hanging down from his mouth keeps me from using stronger force. "Carlisle, you have to do something!"

"I'm trying, Esme!" I snap back at her.

"For gods sake," Esme huffs and reaches over Jasper to deliver a sharp smack to Edward's backside.

The sound seems much louder than it really is, and I'm shocked by her actions. My darling wife, who typically is so kind and gentle, just struck our child.

Edward is just as surprised as I am. He instantly drops Jasper's arm and stares at Esme with his mouth open and his brows pulled together. He covers his backside.

"Go to the corner!" Esme orders him as she stands with Jasper in her arms. He lets out a huff as he gets to his feet and stomps to the end of the hallway. As he passes the girls and Emmett, he smirks, bares his teeth and jumps forward. They all jump back, and Alice starts to cry. It makes Edward laugh.

"Carlisle? Esme?" We hear Carman call as she lets herself in our home. She and Eleazar appear in our hallway in a matter of a fraction of a second. "We heard screaming. What can we do to help?"

"Make sure he," Esme points down the hall to where Edward now stands with his nose against the wall. "stays right there. Keep the others busy. Carlisle, come with me."

I instantly follow her to the upstairs bathroom. She sets Jasper on the counter and I take his injured arm in my hand. Two crescent shaped wounds are open on his skin. They're deeper than I imagined they would be, and exposes the pale pink skin. I can see every tooth mark, and can even decipher the shape of every tooth.

"Hold him. It's going to sting." I tell Esme.

She wraps one arm around Jasper free arm and stomach, and holds his head against her chest with the other. I steady his arm to the best of my ability before licking the wounds and praying that he's enough of a vampire for this to heal him.

He screams again and tries to yank his arm from me. It's makes my stomach wrench to not only known that he is in pain, but that I am causing the pain. It has to be done, though. As much as it hurts to continue, I do.

"Daddy, you're hurting me!" Jasper cries.

"Honey, it will help. It's going to sting, but it will make your wound close." Esme explains. "He has to do it."

I take a deep breath before continuing. I try to cover as much of the wound as quickly as possible. Jasper turns his head into Esme's body and cries into her stomach. I hold him arm down and watch the wound. The wound slowly changes to a pale, silver color and once the pink is gone, Jasper's screaming comes to a halt. He lifts his head from Esme's shirt and watches his arm.

"It don't hurt no more." He gasps.

"Good." I let out a relieved sigh.

"See? I told you it would help." Esme smiles as she runs her fingers through Jasper's blond hair.

"How'd you do that, Dad?" Jasper asks me with wide, hopeful eyes. "Are you a superhero?"

I chuckle as he reaches for me. When I pick him up, he wraps his arms around my neck, but winces when his hurt wrists touches me.

"Does it hurt when it's touched?" I ask. He nods with a whimper and retracts his arms to his chest. I look to Esme. "Do we have any bandages?"

"We don't. We've never had to have a first aid kit before." Esme says. "But give me a second. I have an idea."

She leaves the room and Jasper settles into my chest. He closes his eyes and we stand there with each other without saying a word. The other kids whispering to themselves in the bedroom, Eleazar and Carman talk about Edward's bite low enough so the kids don't hear. I don't pay attention to them, though. I just enjoy the time with Jasper.

Esme comes back into the room with a strip of blue cotton fabric. Esme carefully wraps it around the bite, tying it in a knot to keep it covered. Jasper winces again, but Esme quickly shakes her head no.

"It will stop hurting, sweetheart. Do you know why?" She asks. When he shakes his head no, she smiles and leans in closer to him, like she's sharing a secret with him. "Because this is from Daddy's shirt."

"It is?" Jasper gasps.

"It is. Do you feel it working?"

"Yeah, Momma! I do!" He smiles.

Esme puts her hands on the side of his face and kisses the top of her head before taking him from me, setting him on the ground, and telling him to go play. He runs out the door and through the hall, yelling to the others about his makeshift bandage.

"My shirt?" I question. Esme comes over to me and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Just an old tee shirt of yours that I cut. I figured your scent could help comfort him." She explains, then sighs. "Now we just have to deal with Edward."

My sweet, kindhearted wife. The woman who has cared for and nurtured the family I've created since the moment she joined it. She hardly has a harsh word to say, and has calmed disputes between the kids countless amount of times. As amazing as she is, I can't get the image of her reaching over and striking Edward.

"Before we handle that, I want to speak to you. In the hall, what you did to make Edward let go of Jasper. Esme, what was that?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Carlisle, he had his teeth sunken into Jasper's arms!" Esme scolds me like I'm one of the kids, speaking quietly so they can't hear our disagreement. "What is the better option? We had to get him off of Jasper."

"But is it right to correct his violence with more violence?" I question.

"You are seriously comparing a swat on his bottom to the horrific bite mark he left on Jasper?"

"I'm saying that I don't think hitting him is the best option."

"What other choice did we have?" She asks. "He was seriously hurting Jasper. You couldn't get him to let go. He wasn't listen to either of us when we told him to let go."

"What are we teaching him with that type of punishment, though?" I continue with my argument. Esme sighs and rubs her temples for a moment before responding.

"Is this because of what you experienced in your human life?"

I suck in a breath, and now it's my time to hesitate.

"Carlisle, Esme," Carman shows up in the bathroom doorway. "Do you want us to take the kids to our house? We can watch them there."

"Thank you, Carman. That would be great." Esme forces a smile. Carman returns the awkward smile before she leaves what has to be an awkward conversation for her and Eleazar to overhear. When she announces to the kids that they are coming with her and Eleazar to their house, the kids nearly lose their minds with excitement. Edward shouts that he's coming and I hear his little feet running down the hall. Esme widens her eyes at me. "He can't go!"

I step out of the bathroom and snag him up before he can reach the steps.

"No, Edward. You're being punished. You can't go." I tell him and carry him back to the corner. He whines and kicks, but I remember how Esme keeps preaching consistency to teach obedience and respect.

"Let me go!" He huffs.

"No. You're being punished. You have to stay-"

I can't even finish my statement before Edward bites down on my forearm.

"Edward!" I scold him through clenched teeth. I try again to pry his mouth open, but this time he opens his mouth as soon as he feels my fingers on his cheeks. I plop him back into the corner, expecting him to run off in his usual fashion. To my surprise, he stays there.

I examine my arm as I return to the bathroom. He's caused an indent on my skin, but it isn't comparable to the mark that would have been left by another adult vampire. When I enter the bathroom, Esme is visibly fuming and pacing the tiny length of the bathroom.

"He bit you too?" She questions angrily. "Carlisle, we need to stop this behavior right now! If the Volturi find out,"

She cuts herself off short, which I'm thankful for. I don't want to think of how they would react to our tiny mutant vampire child running around biting everyone. We both know how it ended last time there were vampire children.

"What do you suggest we do?" I ask.

"Oh, you're trusting my judgement now?" She snaps at me.

"Esme," I sigh. "That's not fair."

Esme stops dead in her tracks, looks up at the ceiling and just stands with her hands on her hips. As she contemplates everything running through her mind, I quickly run my tongue over the shallow wound. A few more seconds tick by, but they feel like centuries.

"I need to be more understanding of your perspective on this. I know your memories of your human father are not good ones, and I understand that you do not want to be like him. And I know that you won't ever be like him in a million years. In this life, though, sometimes we have to be harsh." She explains stiffly. "Remember a few centuries ago when Edward and Emmett had that huge argument? They couldn't snap out of it when they started fighting and you had no choice but to intervene."

"I remember." I sigh as I recall that horrible day.

"You had to get physical with both of them to keep them from tearing each other apart. I didn't like it, you didn't like it, no one liked it. But it had to be done."

I drop my eyes to the ground. It wasn't my proudest moment when I had to threaten and physically overpower the two boys, but Esme is right. The only other option would be to let one tear the other to shreds. It didn't take much to shock the boys into straightening up, but it was so unbelievably difficult for me. Throwing Edward off Emmett, keeping Emmett pinned to the ground by sitting on his chest and keeping my hands around his neck. Thank god that Jasper was with me. Edward was so shocked that I don't believe he would have came back after Emmett, but having Jasper there to restrain Edward was a huge help. I hated that day. The fear of one of them destroying the other was unbearable.

"We are in a similar situation here, but on a smaller scale. We cannot let this behavior continue. Edward is endangering his life, the life of all of them, by acting like that." She speaks gravely. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. That was wrong. I hope you understand why I responded the way I did to Edward biting Jasper, though."

I simply nod. Somehow, she had read me like an open book. She dug deeper into my mind than I did.

"It makes sense. I understand." I agree and close the distance between she and I. I wrap my arms around her waist and give her a quick kiss. "I trust you and your techniques. Now, how are we going to handle this?"

——————g—————-

"I don't want to!" Edward whines while hardly opening his mouth. He's pouting on the closed toilet lid.

"Edward, this is what happens when you make the decision to bite." Esme explains for what seems like the thousandth time. She points the sudsy bar of soap at him. "If you want to bite something, you can bite this."

"I don't want to!" He repeats.

"It's not debatable, Edward." I tell him.

He shakes his head no.

"You will not leave this room until you complete your punishment." Esme says.

Edward simply raises his eyebrows at her, crosses his arms over his chest, and pierced his lips together.

"We can stay here all evening." Esme tells him.

Esme and I just wait as Edward gives us the evil eye. I expect him to only fight this for a few moments...

Twenty seven silent minutes later, he finally gives in and opens his mouth. Esme pops the bar of soap in his mouth.

"Keep it in there for ten minutes." She instructs.

I hold my breath and expect him to spit it out on the floor, but he doesn't. Maybe he understands how serious this is. For once, I feel confident with this parenting mess. I can handle this. I can do this. Esme has this down pat. The perfect combination of firmness and love, discipline and comfort. If I watch her and learn from how she parents, I'll learn to apply the same methods myself and it will be smooth sailing from—

"Phew!" Edward spits out the soap and sends the sudsy bar gliding across the bathroom floor. "That's disgusting!"

I immediately look to Esme, and she shoots Edward a disapproving glare before snatching up the soap, re-lathering it in the sink, and returning back to her position in front of Edward.

"This is just like when you and your siblings were in time out. If you don't follow the rules of your punishment, the clock will start over." She explains. Edward furrows his angry brow at her and opens his mouth again. Esme positions the bar between his teeth. "Keep it there."

If looks could kill, Edward would have stricken Esme down. It doesn't phase her, though.

I sigh and watch our angry little boy. My small flame of hope isn't completely snuffed out. We'll get through this. We may have to get through it kicking and screaming, but we will get through this.


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay, now you have to remember that these are pray animals." I whisper to my tiny hunting crew. "You have to be very quiet so you-"

"Charge!" Emmett hollers and runs towards the snowshoe hare with a stick raised high in the air. Edward chases after him, and I just sigh and wait for them to realize their plan isn't going to work. The hare dashes off.

"You told us to be quiet." Rosalie huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

"I know, Rosie."

"Why don't they listen?" She questions angrily.

"Momma said it's because they're wild." Jasper says as he pushes the plastic, camouflage helmet back on his head and out of his eyes.

"Are they wild, Daddy?" Alice joins in.

"Yeah, they are." I admit. The hare ducks into its den, and the two wild boys kneel on the snowy ground to peer into it. They exchange looks for a moment before Emmett shoves his head into the hole. "Emmett, come on! Get your head-"

Before I can continue, Emmett scream. He pulls his head back about ground level and sprints back over to me. Edward follows behind him. He's still faster than Emmett, and quickly passes him up and collides onto my leg. He wraps his arms around my knee as tightly as he can, and Emmett mimics him.

"It almost got me!" Emmett screeches.

"That's what happens when you put your head in places it doesn't belong." I explain.

"You were suppose to get it. Not the other way 'round." Jasper points out. Emmett reaches out to smack him, but I grab his wrist before he can make contact.

"How many times have I told you not to hit?" I scold him. "And I told you both to be quiet, but you didn't listen to that either."

"Sorry, Dad." Edward sighs.

"Yeah. Sorry." Emmett adds on.

"I'm thirsty," Rosalie whines and grabs my shirt hem.

"I know, I know. You kids know the rules. Stay right here and do not move."

I get a variety of agreements amongst the five little ones before I shake the boys off my legs and take off in the direction of a heard of elk. I try to pay attention to the pray, but my attention stays directed towards the kids. I hear them bickering amongst the group. Edward calls Emmett a scaredy cat, Emmett pushes Edward into Rosalie. Rosalie yells at Edward. Edward yells back, and Jasper tries to play the peacemaker. Alice constantly reminds them that I won't be happy if I hear them arguing.

I snag an elk, hoist it over my shoulder, and drag the giant thing back to the kids. They swarm it like a pack of hungry dogs attacking a steak, and I stand back and let them do their thing. They're messy as can be, and obviously are far from being ready to hunt for themselves. In a way, it's kind of nice, though, to care for someone.

-page break-

"One more," Edward tries to say but is interrupted by a yawn. He closes his eyes and rests his head on my chest. "Chapter, Dad."

"I think we should save the next chapter for tomorrow, buddy." I tell him.

"But... only one... more..." He trails off and can't even finish his sentence before he finally falls asleep.

It's just him and I in the small office. This is our new routine. I've been making an extra effort to spend one on one time with each of the kids. Alice and Rosalie are easy. They like to play dress up and pretend to have a fashion show down the hall, so I'm their host and get to announce them as the strut down the runway. Emmett likes to wrestling and rough house, and Jasper usually likes to play out the little stories he makes up in his head with his toy action figures and army men. Edward is the difficult one. If we try to play one on one and another kid comes to join in, he gets angry and it ends badly. The first day we tried it, he hit Emmett in the face with a plastic truck. The next day, he pushed Alice down. And the day after that was a huge disaster. Jasper came over to join in, and Edward bite his shoulder. Now poor Jasper has two scars from Edward on his arm. This all occurred while Esme was hunting with Carman, of course, so I had to handle it myself. Edward was hauled into the bathroom to wash his mouth out, and every time he was only a minute or two away from finishing his punishment, he'd spit the bar out. It took two hours to finish it. That was eight days ago. Carman suggested that we do something together where the others couldn't interrupt, so we promised him an extra hour to stay awake and read with me. It's worked out wonderfully.

Edward seems to be thriving from it, and although he's still a challenge to keep in line, he's even been better behaved. His jealously was relatively well managed before this odd de-aging incident. Now, he'll have it, scream, and even bite if he thinks someone is getting more attention or has a better toy than him. Esme and I both have noticed that this behavior has been reduced since we started our nightly reading together.

With him still cradled in my lap, I set his book of choice down on the desk. The humor of the book is not lost on me— Harry Potter. My first born has indulged himself into a series of the wizard world. He's been the most difficult one, the most punished one, so I wait to take him upstairs to his bed. I just want to enjoy this nice moment with him a little while longer.


	8. Chapter 8

My house has erupted into chaos. Holes in the wall, broken toys across the living room floor, four crying little ones, one of them having the temper tantrum of the century.

"Edward put it down!" Esme demands as Edward pulls a metal Tonka truck over his head.

With a scream and all the strength of a toddler vampire, he throws it across the room. It hits the wall, putting a hole in it. I hold Jasper tighter in my arms. The poor boy has been the target of Edward's rage again. Emmett was running through the house with his toy airplane and collided with Edward, knocking him down. It wasn't intentional and I had Emmett apologize, but it didn't make Edward feel better. At this point he's learned that Emmett is bigger and stronger than him, so he goes after his more laid back brother. Jasper was minding his own business, laying on his belly on the floor looking at a book about cowboys when Edward came over and bit down on his bicep. We were able to pull them apart, but Edward wasn't done. Jasper's brand new book was torn to shreds, Rosalie was almost hit with a flying toy, and he's screaming so loud it's rattling the windows. Alice is terrified. Rose was acting tough until she narrowly missed being clobbered by a plastic dinosaur. Emmett is rather entertained by the fiasco and intensely watch for what his brother does next. Every time something breaks or hits the wall his jaw drops, but the excitement in his eyes and the little tug of a smile at the corners of his mouth are too obvious to miss.

"Daddy, it hurts!" Jasper cries into the side of my neck, soaking the collar of my shirt with his tears. I hold his bitten arm stead and quickly lick the wound. His little body tenses, but he doesn't pull away from me.

"I know, buddy. I know." I try to comfort him. "You're doing great, though."

"Why won't he stop?" Alice asks. She clings to my the back of my leg, peering around occasionally to see what Edward is doing.

Edward turns to face us and flings a doll at us.

"Mrs. Cupcake!" Rosalie calls as the red yarn-haired doll flies through the air. She tries to run out to grab her, but I snag her by her arm and pull her back behind me.

"Edward!" Esme scolds him again. While balancing Jasper on my side with one arm and Alice wrapped around my leg, I reach out as much as I can and grab Mrs. Cupcake for Rosie. "Carlisle, get them out of here! I'll handle this."

"By yourself?" I ask in disbelief. Other vampires, werewolves, witches and wizards, no problem. A toddler's temper tantrum? Is that a one person job?

"Yes! Take them to Carman and Eleazar. They don't deserve to be dodging toys!"

"Neither do you!"

"Carlisle!" She calls my name in the same way she just scolded our son. "Take them out of the house. Keep them entertained. I'll come to get you when this is handled. Now go!"

I give her a quick nod before corralling the behaving four out the sliding glass door. Jasper stays clung to me like a baby koala, and Alice is making it difficult to walk because she's still keeping her arms around my leg. Rosalie sticks right next to me, but Emmett drags his feet, keeping his head turned to watch Edward pound the ground with his fists and feet. He's still standing inside when the others are on the patio. I try to set Jasper on his feet but he refuses to unwrap his limbs from around me.

"You have to let go, Jasper. I need to get Emmett," I tell him. His grip loosens just enough for me to unwrap him from my body. Once he's off, I have to do the same to get Alice off of my leg. I grab Emmett and have to practically drag him out of the house.

"I want to see what he's doing!" He protests.

"No, Emmett! We're going to visit Carman and Eleazar." I tell him firmly. He looks at me with an angry pout but doesn't protest any farther. Jasper runs back to me.

"Hold me, Dad!"

I pick him up, and then the girls are at my feet look up at me with wide eyes. Rosalie still has Mrs. Cupcake in a chokehold under her arm.

"Pick me up too!" Rosalie says.

"Me too, Daddy, me too!" Alice insists.

I move Jasper up to my shoulders and carry a girl in each arm. Luckily Emmett is up for walking to Carman and Eleazar's home. Jasper rests his chin on the top of my head. Emmett jabbers the whole way there, but the three I'm carrying aren't interested in talking. Every now and then Jasper lets out a whimper, but other than that he's silent. Even though she acted tough, I know Rosalie is shaken by the craziness caused by Edward. Alice has her tiny hands clenching my shirt.

When we finally get to Carman's and Eleazar's house, Rosalie has recovered and asks me to put her down so she can chase after Emmett heading to the playhouse. Jasper comes down from my shoulders and I keep him on my side. Eleazar comes out of the house to greet us.

"Hello, my friend," he says with a small forced smile. "You just missed Carman. She went to your place to see if you needed any help. What are you doing, beating the boy?"

"You heard his screaming," I sigh. "I'm sorry, Eleazar."

"He bit me," Jasper explains.

"Again?"

"Yeah, again,"

"Carlisle," Eleazar lets out a huff. "You have to get Edward under control. He cannot keep acting like this."

I can't hide how I'm taken aback by his attitude. It's one thing when Esme tells me how to take care of the kids. I would even feel differently if it were Carman offering some friendly advice. But Eleazar is different. He's understood everything I've felt with these kids. He's let me vent to him without judgment. No matter how badly behaved the kids have been, he's reassured me that I'm doing fine and that things will be okay.

"Eleazar," I start to say, but I have no idea what to tell him. He gestures to his enclosed patio and he heads that way. I follow behind him, still shocked at the tone he's taken. He lets us in and pulls out a box of toys from the corner of the room.

"Go play, kids," He tells Alice and Jasper. Alice eyes the box, and wiggles out of my arm. Jasper refuses to move through.

"I want to stay with Daddy," Jasper whimpers.

"Your Daddy and I have adult things to talk about, Jasper."

"But my arm still hurts," he whines.

"You're okay," I promise him before setting him on his feet. "Play with Alice and let the grown ups talk."

With a sad sigh, he does as I told him and plops down next to Alice. I follow Eleazar to the chairs sat on the other side of the room. We both take a seat and he lets out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle." He keeps his eyes glued to the playhouse. "I know you both are doing your best. Edward has always had a special relationship with you and now that he's younger and immature he is struggling to understand where his place in the family is."

"Eleazar, if there's something you are worried about concerning the kids-"

"There is something," he interrupts me, then runs his hand through his hair. He finally looks over at me and I can see the worry in his eyes. "There is something big."

"What is it?"

"Carman and I just heard about it today. It's been circulating throughout the community. It's very serious."

"What is it?" I repeat, growing anxious for his answer. He takes another deep breath before finally spilling the news.

"It's the Volturi. They're coming to visit and check on the kids. They want to check that they are not a threat, that you have them under complete control."

Again, I'm left speechless. I remember the destroying of the immortal children once he saw that they couldn't be controlled. I fall back in my seat.

"I'm worried, Carlisle. If they see Edward's tantrums or the bite marks he's left..."

Eleazar trails off, and I'm thankful he doesn't say it out loud.


End file.
